Jasper Fforde Ffan

Maud Fitch · Post by **Maud Fitch** » 09 Oct 2012, 02:46

Gannon wrote:He does indeed. Come back to us Maud, where have you been? We miss you.

<Gannon learns something about Maud - read on>
A woman races across your path, stopping you in your tracks. “Hey,” you shout after her, “watch where you’re going.” With an airy backward wave, sunlight glinting off her wristwatch, she turns the street corner. A soundless ripple, a visual fluctuation and you know she’s gone. “That was the elusive Maud,” says a male voice, “she flits from one time dimension to another at a moments notice. No stopping her once she knows there’s a book plot in peril.” You turn to face him, saying with a half-hearted laugh, “You’re joking, right?”. He pumps your arm up and down and introduces himself. “I’m Phil Ament of the electricity board. Maud was trained by Thursday Next and her first assignment was to investigate the true story of how the light bulb was invented. Joseph Swan, Humphrey Davey and Thomas Edison all told her they did it.” A black shadow looms overhead, blocking the sun. With a sinking heart, you look upward. It’s a Goliath Corp blimp and the electronic banner scrolling around its girth proclaims “Stop talking, start walking, timewasters.” And you realise that’s why Maud keeps on the run.....eating Toast.....always one step ahead, memorising, quoting, referencing.....forever rewriting BookWorld wrongs. You speculate on how much SpecOps pays. With a quick nod to Phil, you start running, hand raised, calling loudly “Wait for me, Maaaud”.....

Excerpt from 'Elusive Maud'
(with apologies to ChronoGuards everywhere and Jasper Fforde)

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » 09 Oct 2012, 19:30

Maud Fitch wrote:
Gannon wrote:He does indeed. Come back to us Maud, where have you been? We miss you.
<Gannon learns something about Maud - read on>
A woman races across your path, stopping you in your tracks. “Hey,” you shout after her, “watch where you’re going.” With an airy backward wave, sunlight glinting off her wristwatch, she turns the street corner. A soundless ripple, a visual fluctuation and you know she’s gone. “That was the elusive Maud,” says a male voice, “she flits from one time dimension to another at a moments notice. No stopping her once she knows there’s a book plot in peril.” You turn to face him, saying with a half-hearted laugh, “You’re joking, right?”. He pumps your arm up and down and introduces himself. “I’m Phil Ament of the electricity board. Maud was trained by Thursday Next and her first assignment was to investigate the true story of how the light bulb was invented. Joseph Swan, Humphrey Davey and Thomas Edison all told her they did it.” A black shadow looms overhead, blocking the sun. With a sinking heart, you look upward. It’s a Goliath Corp blimp and the electronic banner scrolling around its girth proclaims “Stop talking, start walking, timewasters.” And you realise that’s why Maud keeps on the run.....eating Toast.....always one step ahead, memorising, quoting, referencing.....forever rewriting BookWorld wrongs. You speculate on how much SpecOps pays. With a quick nod to Phil, you start running, hand raised, calling loudly “Wait for me, Maaaud”.....

Excerpt from 'Elusive Maud'
(with apologies to ChronoGuards everywhere and Jasper Fforde)

I have to get my hands on a copy of this "Elusive Maud".

Maud had dropped off the grid completely. The last two trackers who had any idea of her whereabouts were myself and Fran. Where could she have gone? Why had her subdermal stopped sending out signals to our myriad of satellites hurtling around our planet above us? I was lost in thought, wondering how our satellites managed to miss colliding with our competitours, when my apple gave a loud chime in my ear. Fran's voice filled my head.
"Maud is not on this timeline."
The tone of her voice gave little room for argument, however I tried.
"Her last "chirp" from her subdermal put her on this timeline and somewhere in the suburbia."
Fran sighed, "Well she is not on this timeline anymore, let alone in the suburbia."
My mind raced, surely she was not going to attempt what Fran and I had discussed with fear on many occasions.
"Do you think we can get access to HiCorps T-Tracker?"
Fran laughed, "I think we have called in all our favours with HiCorp don't you?"
My reply was cut short by another Chime, this one different.
"Hang on a minute Fran, Hello.....," An errie silence followed my greeting. "Maud?" The silence continued.
Just before I disconnected the transmission, Maud's voice shakily invaded my apple.
"I'm in trouble........................"

From "Maud- The Time Jumper"

A24 · Post by **A24** » 10 Oct 2012, 13:38

Love it you guys!

Maud Fitch · Post by **Maud Fitch** » 15 Oct 2012, 03:20

A24 wrote:Love it you guys!

Thank you kindly, A24. Please feel free to add your own time-twisting tale.....

To be continued 'Maud - The Time Jumper'

"Gannon, Gannon, can you hear me?" Feeling around, Maud realised she was sprawled on a pile of shredded paper. Moments earlier she had been shuffling through a Government rubbish bin when two men had grabbed her from behind. They jammed a hood over her head and forced her to walk with them. Without a word, they hoisted her high into the air. Disorientated, they held her on a slippery curved surface until she was pushed downward through a metal opening, grazing her elbows. With an undignified somersault, Maud had tumbled through cloudy air to land flat on her back. After a lid slammed shut like the cover on a drain, she ripped off the hood and activated her ankle light.
She was inside a recycling container, possible a truck on its way to the mill. A shudder and jerk confirmed her worst fear as her prison began to move. Paper pulp rose and stuck in her throat. Coughing, she spat up various pieces which contained a date. Her voice echoed off the rusty, riveted walls "Gannon, I've landed in 1988...I'm in trouble..." she gasped, hoping her HiCorps wristband was sending pulses to T-Tracker. "My heart's pounding loudly enough," Maud thought. "If Gannon doesn't apple-it, I'm going to be in tomorrow's newspaper - literally."

Hope Jasper doesn't read this <cringe>

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » 31 Oct 2012, 02:52

"I know what you guys are saying, I've done my five years as well", Maud replied. Well five years time compressed into five weeks anyway, and we had all been there.
"Well then you should know that what you are suggesting could cause a fracture that will more than likely ripple over into parallel timelines. Who knows what could happen? We have the codex for a reason Maud." Fran sounded a little exasperated. I suppose I couldn't blame her, the three of us had had this conversation on many occasions.
"You do believe in the codex, don't you Maud, Chaos theory, all that?"
"Of course I do, Gannon, all I'm saying is that I believe the risk to be worth it! If I can pull this off then we all agree that our present now will simply change and none of us will even know anything happened. If I am correct the Indo's invasion will never happen. We will have our freedom back."
"...And if your are wrong then it is quite possible that the three of us may just cease to exist," Fran whispered.

Love your installment Maud, especially the last sentence, classic!

Maud Fitch · Post by **Maud Fitch** » 31 Oct 2012, 03:51

Gannon wrote:"If I am correct the Indo's invasion will never happen. We will have our freedom back."
"...And if you are wrong then it is quite possible that the three of us may just cease to exist," Fran whispered.

OMG, just got chills up my spine!!!!! Very clever writing, Gannon.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » 31 Oct 2012, 06:15

@Gannon & Maud
Really good creative stuff ... sorry I can't add to it but I have no talent for creative writing. I feel like Dicken's readers must have felt waiting for the next instalment of The Pickwick Papers ... more, please

primrose777 · Post by **primrose777** » 01 Nov 2012, 05:47

Just finished The Well of Lost Plots. Was a great read. Pickwick had her baby... very cool.
Loving the creative writing Guys.

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » 24 Nov 2012, 02:39

Maud, Maud, Maud, where have you been, so many things have happened since we last talked. The big one is I got married, Fran went into space as Ireland's first astronaut, SKM won an award for the best online pub on the net, Bighuey was voted the most interesting and funny poster on the forum, Ant saved the world from nuclear war and there are rumours that he will be the next bond. It has all been happening and you have been missing it. I really hope that you will be posting a bit more regularly as we all miss your very interesting posts.

Fran, DATo and I are really into David Mitchell at the moment. Have you read any of his work? His books are some the the best I have read for a long time. Fran is due for re-entry soon and I am sure she would love to catch up with you when she arrives back on Earth.

I have really missed you, what's the saying, you never miss your water till the well is dry.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » 24 Nov 2012, 03:49

@Gannon

She was in the pub all the time ... typical Aussie

What on earth are you drinking or are you starting to channel Jasper too?

Gannon · Post by **Gannon** » 24 Nov 2012, 19:21

Fran wrote:@Gannon

She was in the pub all the time ... typical Aussie
What on earth are you drinking or are you starting to channel Jasper too?

Yes Fran, we aussies love our pubs. I have not been drinking anything or channeling Jasper, I am just high on life. I thought that if I Iisted all those stories they might entice Maud to come back on a more regular basis. I mean they are all pretty believable.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » 24 Nov 2012, 19:37

Gannon wrote:
Fran wrote:@Gannon

She was in the pub all the time ... typical Aussie
What on earth are you drinking or are you starting to channel Jasper too?
Yes Fran, we aussies love our pubs. I have not been drinking anything or channeling Jasper, I am just high on life. I thought that if I Iisted all those stories they might entice Maud to come back on a more regular basis. I mean they are all pretty believable.

Is that what married life is doing for you?